U.S. Senator Susan Collins today released this statement following the release of General David Petraeus’ testimony to Congress on Iraq. This report is a direct result of legislation which Senator Collins coauthored with Senators John Warner (R-VA) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) that was included in the defense supplemental spending law.
“I appreciate General Petraeus’ frank and honest assessment, and I commend him for leading our American forces in Iraq with honor and courage. I look forward to questioning him directly when he appears tomorrow before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Given the General’s long and distinguished service to our nation and our troops, it is unacceptable that Moveon.org launched a personal and negative attack on him with a tasteless and disrespectful newspaper ad that does nothing to advance a constructive debate on the road ahead in Iraq.
“While I have the utmost respect for General Petraeus and believe that he has led our troops well, I do not agree with his prescription for the direction in Iraq over the coming months. Keeping somewhere between 125,000 and 150,000 American troops in Iraq for at least another ten months, performing the same mission, will result in more casualties and will not prompt the Iraqi government to enact political reforms needed to quell the sectarian violence.
“The Iraqi Security Forces Independent Assessment Commission, chaired by General James Jones, recently released its own report on Iraq. Among the major recommendations of the report is that American security forces should be transitioned to a new mission while putting more responsibility for the internal security on Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), consistent with the goals of the legislation that I authored with Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE).
“This Jones Report is further evidence in support of the goals set forth by the Nelson-Collins legislation. It underscores the need for a change in mission of our troops, transitioning them away from combat roles and toward fighting terrorism, securing Iraq’s borders, and training Iraq forces. It is my hope that this report will help us to continue to build bipartisan support for our proposal, which would result in significant but responsible withdrawal of our troops.
“While I agree with General Petraeus that an abrupt withdrawal of our troops would have catastrophic consequences, I disagree that it is premature to immediately transition the mission of our troops.
“I will have the opportunity to discuss with General Petraeus his views and recommendations during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. And I look forward to hearing from him further on this issue, which is the most important facing our nation.”
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